This invention relates to an apparatus for picking up a swathed crop and more particularly an apparatus to be installed ahead of a conventional pick-up on a combine, baler or the like and adapted to pick up various crops under various conditions.
The harvesting of crops proceeded from the manual cutting of the crop to a mechanized cutting, curing and harvesting and in the case of grain crops, the threshing of these crops. With the advent of combines and other crop treatment machines it was found advantageous to cut the standing crop, leave it in a windrow and later pick it up with an apparatus to convey it into a machine to process it.
The prior art devices have attempted to pick up the swathed crop as efficiently as possible, however, when the crops were subjected to considerable rain, wind or even snow and were supported by a short stubble they left something to be desired. The closest prior art known to applicant are Canadian Patents 538617, 1130580 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3191372, 4841718. The angled pick-up shown in "617" claims the angle pick-up as being superior but applicant achieves the same results more efficiently by spiralling the auxiliary pick-up teeth from the center outwardly to each end. The patent "372" teaches the use of a smaller diameter auxiliary pick-up which applicant also found desirable, however, it does not teach the specific tines, the location of the tines, the tine wear adjustments nor the elevation adjustments as taught by applicant, all of which contribute to a far more efficient operation under all conditions.